Weed cutter for railways



March 18, 1924. 1,487,24

B. H. LAMMONS WEED CUTTER .FOR RAILWAYS Filed Dec. 5, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Cylinder T6 Compressor flan/1111161170 0 March 18 1924. 1,487,246

B. H. LAMMONS WEED CUTTER FOR RAILWAYS Filed Dec. 5, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 will! Patented Mar. 18, 1924.

UNITED STATES BEN H. LAMMONS, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

WEED CUTTER FOR RAILWAYS.

Application filed December 3, 1923. Serial No. 678,272.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BEN H. LAMMONS, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Weed Cutters for Railways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for cutting weeds, grass, and the like adjacent the rails of railway tracks. Often such weeds and like vegetation grow so. close to the rails that they cover or partially cover them so as to in a measure hide them, and often make the tracks so slippery as to interfere with the proper operation of the train brakes.

According to my invention I employ mechanism which can be easily applied to one of the cars of a train and operated by one of the axles in such manner as to cut the weeds, etc., adjacent the rails as the car proceeds on the track.

In carrying out my invention I provide a frame which is rigidly secured to the truck frame of a car and to this frame I connect a frame which supports the gear casings containing gears which are operatively connected with rotary cutters adapted to cut weeds, etc, adjacent the track rails. The cutter gears are operatively connected by clutch mechanism with a shaft driven from the car axle. The cutters are normally held above the plane of the track, but mechanism is provided for moving the cutters into operative position when desired.

My improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and are hereinafter more particularly described.

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of portions of a locomotive and tender with my improved weed cutters applied.

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of portions of the weed cutters and parts associated therewith.

Figure 4 shows a section on the line 4& of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a slotted cam ring forming part of the operating mechanism.

Figure 6 is a detail view of this slotted cam ring showing how it is connected with parts of the operating mechanism.

Figures 7 and 7 are detail views of a latch forming part of the mechanism.

anism and which is attached to the car truck comprises a front cross piece C attached to the truck frame longitudinal side bars D attached at their front ends to the cross piece C and connected at intervals by cross bars 0. The longitudinal side bars D are connected by braces E and F to suitable parts ofthe truck frame indicated at G. The frame just described is rigidly secured to the truck frame and itsuppo-rts another frame at its rear end which carries the cutting mechanism and certain parts connected therewith. The frame last referred to comprises two side members each comprising a rear vertical part it, a bottom member 71,, a front vertical part 72?, and a horizontal upper member h Each upper member h is pivotally connected at h to a longitudinal frame bar D. A spring K is interposed beween the lower portion of each vertical frame piece 71, and. the adjacent brace member E, and these springs tend to push the frame members rearwards and to yield sufiiciently to allow the frame members to move to a slight extent forward.

An. axleL is supported in bearings Z on the frame members 72) and a clutch member m is secured to each end of this axle. Collars Z prevent endwise movement of the axle. This axle L is driven continuously when the car is running by gearing connecting it with an adjacent car axle. As shown the gearing consists of a belt N engaging a pulley n on the axle L and a pulley n on the caraxle O. The two rear pivotally mounted frame members support gear casings P within which are beveled gears p secured to the outer ends of the shafts Q, which are supported in bearings in the casings and carry at their inner ends clutch members 1 cooperating with the clutch members m. As

shown in Figure 9 the clutch members at have spring wearing members m which form no necessary part of the present invention.

The weed cutters for each rail of the track comprise a pair of rotary cutting members It preferably constructed in the manner 11- lustrated in Figure 8, each cutter comprising two disks r secured to the lower end of an inclined shaft S having between them bundles of stiff steel wire a. The bundles of wire are preferably U-shaped, the curved portions of the loops being seated between the disks as shown. The shafts S of each pair of cutters are arranged diagonally and cross each other as indicated in Figures 2 and 4;, and the upper inner ends of these shafts carry beveled pinions t which engage the beveled pinions p of the shafts Q. When the clutch members m, g are engaged with each other, the rotary movement of the driven shaft L is transmitted to the cutter The outer ends of the levers W extend.

through holes in the arms w of the cam rings. Nuts Q02 on the outer ends of the levers W prevent said levers, from separating from the cam rings. The inner ends of the levers W are drawn forward by springs 00 attached to the inner ends of said levers and also attached at their front ends to a frame X secured to a stationary part of the truck frame or to the rear end of the cylinder X. The springs 00 thus serve to move the cutters into working position as shown in Figure 1 and the springs thus hold the cutters yieldingly to avoid undue strain on the mechanism. The inner ends of the levers W are pressed forward by the piston X when an operating fluid, such as compressed air, is admitted to the front end of the cylinder through a suitable pipe P. In this way the cutters are moved rearwardly from the position shown in Figure 1 ,and upwardly out of working position.

The ring U, which I call the cam ring, carries bolts or pins e which extend through V spaced lugs e on the horizontally arranged bars Z which are secured at their inner ends to the frame members it and if. Each bolt or pin 2 carries a collar 2 between which and the outer lug e is interposed a spring (Figure 6). The bolts 2 extend through slots a in the cam rings and are headed at their outer ends as shown.

Normally the cutters .areTaised above the under portions of the rails and the clutches are, open so that the cutters do not operate. To raise the cutters air is admitted to the front end of the cylinder X which causes the piston X to so move the levers TV as to turn the gear casings clockwise and thus swing the cutters rearwards or to the left as viewed in Figure 1 until they are sufli ciently raised. When the parts are in raised position latches Z (Figure 7 and Figure 7) are made to engage the cams 1) thus preventing thecutters from being lowered. Normally or when the cutters are elevated, the cams e on the rings U engage the outer ends of the bars Z as illustrated in Figure 6, and at this time the shafts Q, are moved outwards, disengaging the clutch members 9 from the clutch members m. The turning movement of the cam rings and the gear casings to which they are rigidly secured relatively to the bars Z is provided for owing to the fact that the bolts or pins .2 extend through slots a in the cam rings.

When the cutters are elevated and other parts are in inactive position audit is desired to bring the cutters into operative relations with the rails, the latches Z are disengaged from the cams o and the springs m give the proper movement to the levers W to turn the cam rings and the gear casings rigidly connected therewith to lower the cutters to the position shown in Figure 1. This movement of the cam rings withdraws the cams o from the arms Z and the springs e operate to draw the rings and the gear casings inwardly towards each other, thus causing the gear casings, the gears, shafts, etc., to be drawn inwardly towards each other, thus closing the clutches and under these conditions the cutters are in operative relation as illustrated in Figure 4, and the cutters are rotated in the manner before described. The rapid rotation of the cutters cuts the weeds, grass, or the like below the top of the rails and on opposite sides thereof in the manner indicated on the left-hand side of Figure 4. It is not necessary that the wires .9 should be sharp. They may be steel wires of small diameter, but, inasmuch as they are operated at high speed they will destroy weeds with which they come in contact. It will be noted that the rear portion of the frame which supports the operating mechanism is pivot ally connected with the rigid frame bars D. This is for the purpose of giving some freedom of action or a compensating relation between the truck and the cutter operating mechanism in order to prevent the mechanism being injuriously affected by irregular movements of the car. In order to prevent undue sidewise movements of the pivoted rear members of the frame I provide stop bars Y having bifurcated rear ends 3 which embrace the top members h of the frame. These stop. bars while permitting a slight sidewise movement of the pivoted frame members, preventundue sidewise movement thereof.

As shown the members it, h, if, its may be made of a single piece of metal bent to proper shape as shown.

My improvements are such that they may be easily applied to the truck frames of any car without a material modification of the truck frame. This is apparent from an inspection of Figure 1 where it will be seen that the rigid frame members above referred to can be applied to truck frames of usual construction while the rigid frame is made to support the frame members to which the cutters and cutter operating mechanism are connected.

I claim as my invention 1. A weed cutter for railways comprising a pair of diagonally arranged cutters adapted to operate near opposite sides of a rail, a driven shaft, and gearing connecting the driven shaft with the cutters.

2. A weed cutter for railways comprising a pair of diagonally arranged cutters adapted to operate near opposite sides of a rail, a

- driven shaft, gearing connecting the driven shaft with the cutters, and means for lowering and raising the cutters into and out of connecting the driven shaft with the cutters.

5. A weed cutter for railways comprising a supporting frame secured to a truck frame, gear casings supported by the frame, rotary cutters supported by the gear casings, a shaft driven from a car axle, and gearing connecting the driven shaft with the cutters.

6. A weed cutter for railways comprising a frame secured to a truck frame and provided with braces for holding it steady, a supplemental frame flexibly connected with said first mentioned frame, gear casings supported by the supplemental frame, rotary cutters supported by the gear casings, means for raising and lowering the cutters, and means for actuating the cutters.

7. A weed cutter for railways comprising a supporting frame, gear casings supported by the frame, cam rings bolted to the gear casings, rotary cutters supported by said gear casings, means for operating the cam rings to raise and lower the cutters, and means operated by the cam rings for connecting and disconnecting the cutters with their actuating mechanism.

8. A weed cutter for railways comprising a supporting frame, gear casings connected therewith, cam rings on the gear casings, rotary cutters supported by the gear casings, gearing connecting the cutters with a car axle, and means for operating the cam rings to raiseand lower the cutters and to connect and disconnect the cutters with the driven mechanism.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

BEN H. LAMMONS. 

